Hallowed Bond
by K1 X Bell
Summary: Keiichi & Belldandy have finally admitted their love for one another, but a brush with the devil threatens to tear their happiness asunder. Sequel to A Midsummer's Night. On Hiatus until 'Mirrored Souls' is complete.
1. The Price of Victory

Hello, everyone! I told you, you might be seeing me again! This is a sequel to A Midsummer's Night! It takes place directly after the angel eater incident. Also, this is my sophomore Fic and I'm feeling pretty good about it! A lot of people like my first story apparently. I got over 500 views in the first 4 days! And a good many reviews and a couple PM's! I honestly thought you guys were going to roast me, and tell me I'm a terrible writer! But it all worked out in the end, so without further ado.

The story continues...

"KEIICHI!" was heard all around the clearing, as Belldandy desperately tried to revive her beloved.

Lind, with her boosters still activated, seemingly teleported to their side before quickly kneeling next to them. Her golden eyes quickly taking in the situation, she finds Belldandy crying hysterically while she tried to shake awake Keiichi in her state of panic. Taking only a few seconds to scan him with her magic, Lind's look turns to shock as she finds him in the same catatonic state the others were subject to.

Suddenly she recalls her self fighting against Belldandy during the lord of terror incident, but something was off, she was watching herself from a third-person view...Almost as if it wasn't her memories... Realization flashed across her features as darkness invaded the edges of her vision.

'How could... this... happen...' were her last waking thoughts as she fell into unconsciousness.

The others arrived just as Lind collapsed her eyes closing; worried they attempted to pry information out of Belldandy, but got nothing from the grief-stricken goddess. Still in a state of terror, Belldandy tightly held onto her love, her head down with tears silently rolling down her face.

His head resting in her lap, Keiichi's eyes were dull, lifeless to the world around him.

Without a sound, Belldandy picked up her love before walking back toward the ruins of their home, the others closely followed with Lind floating lightly behind them. Saying a quiet spell, she repaired the damage left in the aftermath of the battle earlier. Stepping onto the deck as the last tile placed itself on the roof, she let out a small bittersweet smile at seeing their home restored. Thinking of him, the smile quickly vanished as if it had never been there.

Walking into her Keiichi's room she gently laid him down onto his futon before kneeling next to him. Resting her head on him, she clutched at his shirt while shaking uncontrollably trying not to completely lose herself again in her sorrows.

It was only few seconds later that she let out a heart-wrenching cry in misery. She begged and pleaded for him to come back to her, and to not leave her alone. So lost in despair and tears, she never noticed as the light returned to his eyes for a brief moment, only to vanish as if it were never there. Completely shutting out the world around her, Belldandy continued to cry her heart out into the night.

"**Belldandy**!"

Jumping awake from her slumber at the sound of her name being called, she felt a fleet moment of joy hoping it was all just a dream. But, the grim look on Lind's face showed that it was not the case.

Turning back to Keiichi she gave a somber "Yes, Lind." Was her reply while choking back her sobs. Seeing Belldandy in such a state pulled at Lind's heartstrings, but she retained a resolute expression.

"We will fix this, but first we need to inform the others"

She gave a slight nod, but was determined to not leave his side.

Seeing as she wasn't moving Lind tried to gently pull her to her feet.

"Lind, stop!" She let out a little more forcefully then she intended, calming herself, she continued while shooting her with a look of defiance. "He would not leave my side and I shall **NOT** leave his."

She was really worried about him as well, but seeing as Belldandy wouldn't budge, both literally and figuratively, Lind relented in her efforts to bring the young goddess with her. "Okay Bell, I understand, is it fine if I bring them in here then?"

A small, almost inconceivable nod was her answer.

Lind briefly mused that if she hadn't been trained as a Valkyrie, she might have missed it. Taking her leave, she returned to the tea room to collect the others. After a brief moment of silence, Belldandy heard the door slide open once again. Turning briefly to greet them, she forced a smile to hide how broken up she was inside. No one believed the faux smile for a second, but they didn't do anything to suggest otherwise.

Once again facing her beloved, Belldandy started to speak quietly. "What do you wish to speak to me about?"  
Pausing momentarily to gather her thoughts. "If he is in this state…. there is only one thing that could've happened, and you know as well as I do there's is only one way we can bring him him back…" She sobbed out as her hand tightly clasped his.

"What's wrong with Kei, big sis?" Skuld asked worriedly. While they never used to see eye to eye, she didn't hate him or wish him harm. Suddenly a memory of that fateful morning came to mind...

_Sprinting from her seat, Skuld rushed into her room, burying her head into her pillow. Tears began to flow uncontrollably as thoughts of her sister's betrayal assaulted her mind. Her musings were cut short however, as Urd appeared in the doorway giving her a disapproving look.  
_

_"**SKULD!**" Urd shouted as she entered, while simultaneously using her magic to seal the room. "I told you again and again, not to force Belldandy to choose between you two! And what do you do!?" Stomping up to her, she continued her verbal beating on Skuld, rage lacing her words._

_"Out of everything I've ever told you, you couldn't listen to me on the **ONE THING** I __stressed not to do the most! I don't claim innocence in meddling with their relationship, but I did it to see Bell happy, not for something as petty as jealousy!" She screamed before her anger subsided momentarily._

_"You know that feeling you get when you're near Sentaro? What they feel for one another is thousands of time greater than what you could ever imagine." Pausing shortly to let the message sink in, she continued. "And that pang in your chest when you see him leave?"_

_Not getting an answer, her temper flared again. "**DO YOU?!**" Seeing her younger sister frantically nod in fear she continues. "When they're apart it is an infinite amount worse, it feels as if their hearts are being ripped to shreds!"_

_Losing all control over her voice she explodes. "AND YOU WANT TO SEPARATE THEM?! NEVER TO SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN! FOR EVERY MOMENT OF THE REST OF THEIR LIVES TO BE FILLED WITH SUCH AGONIZING PAIN AND MISERY, THAT THEY WOULD RATHER BE DEAD?! THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT FOR THEM!?" Seeing Skuld shiver in terror she lowers her tone to the same level as before.  
_

_"Don't you see that Bell loves him more than anything!? More than me, you, Heaven, and even Father himself! He is her whole world, and she his. With trying to separate them, you have managed the exact opposite of you what you wanted, a wedge has been driven between you and Bell, and it's entirely **your** fault! She has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met; the only one whom has even come close is Keiichi. You have forced her to harden her heart against you; and for you to push her this far, that Bell would lose control of her anger, and actually start screaming appalls me! You better figure out some way to fix this, because if you don't, you **Will **pay the consequences!"_

_Turning around to leave, she stopped just outside her room to give Skuld a last word of warning._  
_"And by the way, Skuld? If you ruin what those two have…." She finished by slamming the door so hard the wood fractured, cracks lining it from abuse._

_Skuld continued to shake in the terror her eldest sister had caused her. It had taken her almost two weeks to not shy away in fear of Urd, and three more before she was finally able to make amends with Belldandy. She had finally accepted their relationship, and even began to support it. To the surprise of everyone, she had also grown to see Keiichi as an older brother and often referred to him as Kei._

Skuld was so happy that Belldandy was no longer angry with her, though at first her big sis thought it was all just a ploy, to get back in her good graces, but with some encouraging words from Keiichi, she kept trying until Bell accepted her apologies.

Since then the three sisters had grown ever closer.

She was snapped out of her trip down memory lane, by Belldandy's voice,

"He is in a coma Skuld, and… I don't know if I'll be able to save him." She spoke softly, trying to hide the absolute misery she felt from showing in her voice.

Seeing the state of her sister, Skuld rushed to her side to comfort her, but was unprepared for Belldandy to tightly grab her in her embrace. Her sister's tears soon began soaking through her blouse. As Skuld let Belldandy use her shoulder to cry on, she felt a warm liquid running down the sides of her own face, realizing she was crying as well, she returned the hug with all her might. The two sisters were quickly joined by Urd; they all held each other trying to find comfort in one another.

Peorth and Lind watched mournfully, as the three cried for the young man they had all come to adore, two for a brother, and one for a lover….

* * *

Wow, that was dark, I can't believe I wrote something like this. It's almost scary how this fic turned from being light and fluffy, to being so full of angst and depression.

Anyway, this is the first chapter of 'Hallowed Bond'

Thanks goes out to my friend Gamera68 for him taking the time to beta this chapter!

-_K1 X Bell_


	2. Sacrifice of A Goddess

AN:

Well, I'm back! I wasn't planning taking a week to start writing this chapter, but a certain Beta reader of mine threw a major wrench in my plans. He revealed a little snippet of information and it completely threw me off my game.

I tried for a week straight to figure out a way to get around it and still keep the story going where I wanted it to. In the end I was unable to, so I'm sticking with the original plan.

I have the feeling some won't agree with the route I'm going, but other than completely re-doing the first chapter for the **5TH **time, there is no other option I can come up with. I've never read the manga, so I only know what the anime tells me, but if you have read it I'm positive you'll spot what I did.

Beta: Gamera68

_The story continues…._

As the three sisters continued to weep, Peorth was questioning Lind while they were watching Keiichi for any signs of change in his condition.

"Lind, what happened to him? He was fine until you hit him; what did you do?" Came from Peorth, accusation lining her voice.

"I retrieved Cool Mint after he used an ice spell to freeze the Angel Eater." , was the reply.

"Ice spell!? He was able to….", Her words dying in her throat as realization spread across her features.

"Lind, you didn't!? Please tell me you didn't make him use your angel! You know how dangerous that is!", Peorth yelled, fearing for the young man.

"I didn't make him do anything, he accepted Cool Mint without hesitation, in hopes that he could save Belldandy. It was not my choice to make; it was his and his alone.", She explained, trying to placate the feeling of guilt that was eating her up inside.

"Don't give me that crap! You're just trying to shove off the responsibility onto someone else. If you hadn't shown up here in the first place none of this would've happened!"  
Lind only lowered her head before standing and turning toward the door.

"I'll be back in a few minutes; I need some time to think." Closing the door behind her, Lind slowly made her way outside before taking a seat near the pond.

Back inside, the three sisters had finally calmed down.  
One goddess however was not as calm; Peorth was mentally berating herself for her actions. She was feeling terrible about what she just said; she didn't really mean any of it, she just needed someone to vent on, and Lind happened to be the closest person at the time. Standing up to go and apologize, she was stopped by Urd.

"Peorth, leave her be. She knows you didn't mean it, just leave her alone for the time being. She just….."

Before she can continue Skuld interrupts with in a scared voice.

"What did she do!? What is wrong with him!? Kei is going to be fine, right big sis!?" Urd was a split second too slow, as Belldandy her sadness leaking into her voice.

"Skuld… I honestly don't know; this hasn't happened before. Humans only hold the slightest amount of magic within them, and even less is actually their own power; most of it is absorbed from nature, but even then Keiichi should not have been able to use any magic, let alone harness the power of an angel."

Gathering her thoughts, Belldandy absentmindedly ran her fingers through her beloved's hair.

Picking her next words carefully, she continues.

"An angel and a god can only cast spells in conjunction when the god has fully accepted the angel as their partner. When this happens, an unbreakable bond is formed between the two. When they attacked the Angel Eater, this bonding process between them began. Their souls were melding together, but Lind unknowingly disrupted the connection when she retrieved Cool Mint. If it had gone on any longer, she would have been completely linked together with my Keiichi and would be stuck with him forever."

Pausing a moment to let her words sink in, Belldandy turns back to Keiichi while lacing his fingers with her own.

"With him accepting Cool Mint completely in his hopes to save me, she had partly melded with his soul. And when Lind took her back part of it was ripped away from him. With part of him gone he is locked in same petrified state that we were. The only chance to bring him back is to fill that gap in his soul." Finishing her explanation, she fought back her tears, not wanting to break down again.

Seeing as Belldandy was finished talking, Urd clarified Belldandy's statement.

"The only we can fix this…to get Keiichi back, is to have him receive his own angel." She was about to continue but was interrupted by Skuld's outburst.

"That's it!? If that's all you have to do, we should just leave now and get him an angel's egg!"

"Skuld!" She bit out, halfway ticked off for being interrupted.

"If that would fix everything, don't you think we would have done it by now!?" Calming herself she continued. "It would be extremely difficult for us to get an angel's egg; the only reason it wouldn't be flat out impossible is because of who our Father is. And even if we were able to convince him, that wouldn't solve the problem anyway."

Seeing her youngest sister with a perplexed expression, she went on.  
"For an angel to hatch, it needs a strong soul to support it. In his current state, there is a very good chance it would completely destroy him; the rest of his soul would be torn apart from the strain of giving life to the angel. If he were normal, I'm positive he could support an angel, but that's a moot point seeing as how if that were the case, he wouldn't need one"

This time it was Peorth who was confused.

"If you can't give him an angel's egg, how do you plan on helping him?" She jumped slightly, as the door behind her slid open revealing Lind.

"You were right Peorth, this is all my fault." Her voice cracking as tears rolled down her face.

"And now… I'm going to atone for my actions."  
Stepping forward she mentally said her goodbyes to her longtime friend. 'Cool Mint… You have been with me all the years and it was an honor to have you by my side, but I must do this… I will never forget you my friend, please forgive me.'

Realizing what Lind was preparing for, Belldandy was torn on how to react.

Her mind was screaming at her to stop Lind; that she shouldn't let her do this, but her heart begged to let it happen.  
Unable to decide on which to listen to, Belldandy sat silently; her thoughts of doing the right thing fought a hopeless battle against her heart's desire, to have Keiichi back in her arms.

As her one-sided internal struggle continued, time seemed to slow to a crawl, as Belldandy watched Lind slowly kneel down next to her beloved while placing her hands on his chest.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Lind focused her power into her hands.

Pressing them against the area where she felt his heart beat the strongest, she mentally prepared herself for the pain of loss that was sure to strike her true._ 'I'm sorry it has to be this way, goodbye Mint…', _Finished with her final goodbyes, more unchecked tears rain down the sides of her face as Lind slowly closes her eyes, only for them to snap open when she feels a pair of hands shove her away from Keiichi.

Turning to face the offending person, she is shocked to find that it is Belldandy.

"Bell, what are you doing!? Don't you care about him!? This is my decision to make; not yours! I have caused this mess with my own lapse in judgment, this is my fault and I will be the one to own up to my mistakes!" The Valkyrie growled out in anger.

Feeling the tension rising, the others slowly backed away in case a fight were to break out.  
The strained atmosphere held for a moment longer before lowering to tolerable levels.

"Lind, I will not let you torture yourself over parting with your angel. Keiichi is the love of my life and I **REFUSE** to sit idly when I can do something to save him. I shall be the one that saves him, even if it means losing a part of my own soul! He is my happiness; and to see him like this, causes an even greater suffering than when Holy Bell was ripped from me. He is my everything; and I will do whatever it takes to bring him back to me!"

Her declaration finished, Belldandy focused her power, until it formed into a small ball of light that floated a few inches above the palm of her hand. Lightly pressing it into his chest she whispered to him lovingly.  
"Please my Keiichi, return to me, and let me hold you in my arms once again…"

As the light faded away Belldandy collapsed onto him and lie still.

The only sound throughout the room was her labored breathing as she held tightly on to the one thing that truly mattered to her.

Finally coming to her senses, Urd screamed out as she rushed to her sister's side in a state of panic.

"Belldandy! Belldandy! Speak to me, say something!"

Raising up slightly, Bell gave a soft smile and a nod, before resting her head upon her beloved's chest once more.

Completely shocked, the bronze-skinned goddess fumbled over her words unable to make any sort of sense of the anomaly before her. In all of that confusion only one word made its presence known.

"How…?"

Eyes glimmering with tears of joy, Belldandy gave a mischievous smile.

"When I said part of my soul, I wasn't referring to Holy Bell…."

Yay! Chapter complete! Once again, sorry this took so long to get out, I just couldn't figure out a way to get around a dilemma I was having. So tell me what you guys think! I liked this chapter; it came out a lot better than I thought it would. I was seriously contemplating on just redoing the whole first chapter over and going a different direction with the story, but my Beta convinced me not too. And if you guess what Bell was referring too, you get a cookie!


End file.
